Turkish Airlines airs new ad starring Morgan Freeman during Super Bowl

ISTANBUL

Turkey’s flag carrier Turkish Airlines aired a new advertisement featuring Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman at half-time of the 51st Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons in Houston, Texas on Feb. 5.

The commercial was reportedly watched by around 188 million people around the world.





Turkish Airlines signed Freeman as its new brand face to represent it in the U.S. as a part of a new advertisement campaign, the company announced on Jan. 19. 

The 79-year-old actor is known for his Oscar-nominated performances in films such as “Driving Miss Daisy” and “The Shawshank Redemption.” He won the best supporting actor Academy Award for “Million Dollar Baby” in 2014.

Last year, the carrier had sponsored “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” movie with Warner Bros Pictures. Through a series of commercials, it last year introduced “Gotham City” and “Metropolis” as its two brand new destinations on Super Bowl night, reaching around 35 percent of the U.S. population. Other commercials featured a specially designed Batmobile crossing Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait, Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne (Batman) inviting viewers to Gotham City, and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luther promoting Metropolis. 

The Super Bowl Final was watched by 800 million people last year and Turkish Airlines became the first Turkish brand to be featured at the event. It is the most-watched annual sporting event on TV along with the UEFA Champions League.

Recently, Turkish Airlines has carried out a series of high-profile sponsorships and advertising campaigns, including one with two of sports’ biggest stars, basketball player Kobe Bryant and footballer Lionel Messi.

Following on its success, the company created a new YouTube ad called “Kobe vs. Messi: The Selfie Shootout” to continue increasing brand awareness in Europe, North America, the Middle East and the Far East. The spot became one of the fastest spreading commercials on YouTube in 2013.

Turkish Airlines last year increased its destinations in the U.S. to nine last year by adding flights to Atlanta.